1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is internal combustion engines, and more particularly, the use of a smaller internal combustion device to start a larger internal combustion engine.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical small internal combustion engine, such as that on a lawn mower, has a rope starter that rotates the engine's crankshaft, which starts the engine. Electric starters are also used to rotate the crankshaft for the same purpose. Once the crankshaft is rotated both these starters are separated from the crankshaft. The rope starter requires physical exertion that is unacceptable to many users, while the electric starter requires relatively expensive and complicated apparatus. What is needed is a simple and inexpensive device for rotating the internal combustion engine's crankshaft such that the engine starts. The device should require no battery or external electric power, and should be scalable to internal combustion engines of various sizes.